


The Path That Leads Back Home

by theanonymouspen



Category: CSI: Miami
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Male Slash, Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-19 07:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/880906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theanonymouspen/pseuds/theanonymouspen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan has mysteriously disappeared and it's up to Eric and the rest of the CSI: Miami team to find out what happened to him. AUish in that it doesn't really closely follow the CSI: Miami timeline. Eric x Ryan, Hardy Boys slash. Don't like? Don't read. Reviews loved!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

**Author's Note:** This fic was originally posted on ffnet and will now be cross-posted here.  This is my first time writing for this fandom, and I wasn't too sure about it.  I did get some positive feedback on ffnet though, so I've decided to continue it.  I hope readers here at AO3 enjoy this as well.

**Disclaimer:** CSI:Miami and its characters are not mine. If I owned the series and the network on which they aired, then I would have never allowed the show to get canceled when it did and would given it a more proper conclusion.

**Warning:** This is an Eric/Ryan slash story. If that's not your cup of tea, then do not read on.

* * *

**Prologue**

_This is the last moment of them together that Eric remembers._

Eric watched Ryan with mild amusement as the other man rummaged somewhat frantically through the dressers in the room. The taller CSI chuckled and shook his head as he sprawled out lazily on his side of their shared bed. His lover didn't look back at him, but he harrumphed while continuing to search through various drawers.

"Really, Eric, this isn't funny. I have no idea where I put my watch."

Eric half-groaned, half-laughed as he leaned his head back into one of the pillows before rolling onto his side again. He clutched one of the pillows in his arms and rested his head on it.

"Come on, Ry, you probably just misplaced it. It could happen to anyone."

Ryan's shoulders became tight and Eric let out a sigh—it was the wrong thing to say and he knew it, what with Ryan being OCD and all, but Eric hadn't meant any harm by it. He had been hoping that for once, his lover would calm down. Apparently that was way too wishful thinking on his part.

Ryan turned around to look at him. "It could happen to _anyone_? Sure. You're right, I guess it could."

The younger CSI ran a hand frustratedly through his brown hair which was currently a light brown for the summer; during winter months his hair tended to grow in a darker shade. He gave Eric what he probably thought was a well-deserved glare.

"Stuff like this doesn't just happen to me though, you know better than that. I don't _misplace_ things. Ever."

"All right, all right, sorry," Eric said as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. "I just don't get why you have to look for it _now_ , like right this minute. You've got a few other watches you could wear, don't you?"

"Okay, _first of all_ ," Ryan said, holding up a finger. "It's the cheapest watch I own, which is important, because in case I happen to lose anything while traveling, I want to make sure it's all stuff I don't care too much about. I don't know if you'll recall, but I'm headed to that conference in Chicago today."

"Oh yeah, that's right. The one where you said I can't take you to the airport," Eric said with a slight frown. "Tell me again, why is that?"

This caused Ryan to give a slight pause. Eric raised an eyebrow.

"Well?"

Ryan's lips pressed into a thin line and he appeared uncomfortable, shifting his weight on his feet. "Look, I know it's not the usual way we do things..."

"Yeah, you've got that right, it's not. I don't think you've gone on a trip by yourself since we started dating," Eric said, shaking his head as well as giving the slight shrug of a shoulder. "And even when you did back then, you never had a problem with me taking you to the airport before. So I'll admit it, I've just been curious. Why now?"

Ryan averted his eyes. "Well, I—oh, I don't know..."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one of his hands. "I guess I thought it would just be better this way, that's all."

Eric's frown deepened. "Better? How do you figure?"

He waited for an explanation. He was sure Ryan would give him a plausible one, like always. It worried him though, because usually Eric had at least a general idea of what his lover's thought process might have been regarding a decision. He would like to think he knew his lover, especially since they'd been seeing each other for roughly three years now. To find that Ryan could still surprise him—in this particular instance, Eric wasn't sure he considered that a good thing.

The truth of the matter was, something had been bothering him ever since Ryan mentioned he planned on going to a conference in Chicago, supposedly with a bunch of old pals from his time serving with Miami-Dade's patrol unit. Never mind the fact that he wouldn't even tell Eric _which_ conference—there were at least three going on in the city that weekend—and since Ryan wouldn't tell him, Eric thought he should at least do some digging on the Internet to see if his searches would bear any fruit. He ended up deciding that either Ryan was lying—a thought which not only disturbed him, it was highly uncharacteristic of his boyfriend—or he was too embarrassed to let Eric know of his plans to attend a cooking conference. Eric had come to the latter conclusion because various links to information regarding the event had already been in Ryan's browsing history on his laptop. Part of him hoped Ryan will just come out and confirm his theory. For the most part though, Eric wished Ryan would just be up front with him like he was with just about everything else, because really, what disturbed him the most about all this was the idea that his lover seemed to be just starting to develop a habit of keeping secrets from him. That, Eric most certainly doesn't like. To his dismay, Ryan decided to dance around the question.

"Mm...I guess...change of pace, you know?" Ryan mumbled, still not really looking at Eric. "I mean, don't all couples need that after a while? To like...keep things interesting or something like that?"

Eric felt annoyance rising from within himself. "What? What are you even saying, Ryan? That's ridiculous."

He got up from the bed then and walked over to the other man. He frowned even more deeply, if that were even possible, and Ryan took a slight step back. Eric grabbed the other man by the wrists and pulled him in for a close embrace. With one arm wrapped around Ryan's waist, he used his other hand to lift the brunette's chin, forcing him to look Eric in the eyes. Eric peered into his lover's hazel depths, searching.

"What's going on with you lately, really?" he asked softly. "You've been acting all jittery and insecure again like you were when we first started dating..."

When Ryan doesn't answer him, Eric began to pepper the side of his lover's face with light kisses trailing from his temple to the base of his neck. He smiled against the other man's skin when he felt Ryan shudder in his arms. He worked his way back up to the other man's ear, then hovered his mouth over it as he whispered.

"Come on, Ry, talk to me, baby. Tell me what's on your mind," he said. "Are you worried about us for some reason? Did someone say something? Did _I_ do something?"

The laugh that passed through Ryan's lips was one of exasperation. Eric felt more than saw the action of Ryan shaking his head. He could hear the frown in the other man's voice.

"No, no," said Ryan. "It's nothing like that. Nothing like that at all."

He pulled back from Eric and for the first time since the start of their conversation, he was able to look Eric square in the eye. This allowed Eric to relax a little. He knew this cue; it meant Ryan was finally going to be straight with him.

"Look, the truth is, I..." Ryan trailed off briefly, his jaw becoming slightly taut.

Eric looked at him in confusion, which quickly transformed to concern upon seeing the tears forming in his lover's eyes. He quickly brought his hands up to cup the brunette's face.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Eric said, a little frantically. "Look, if it's that hard to tell me, you don't have to. I'm not angry, I swear."

"No, Eric, I'm sorry," Ryan said, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head. "It's just...hang on. Just give me a minute."

"Yeah, all right, okay," Eric said softly, still a little unsure how to react to his lover going through a roller coaster of emotions. "Take your time."

He didn't have to wait long. In a few seconds, Ryan was able to compose himself. When he again opened his eyes, they were no longer glassy and his facial expression was as calm as it was on most normal days. In fact, he seemed so much like himself again that Eric almost completely forgot his earlier sense of alarm over Ryan's uncharacteristic behavior.

It's Ryan's still somewhat shaky voice that reminded him things weren't really all right. "Honestly? Part of me just doesn't want to go..."

Before Eric could respond, the brunette had buried his face in the Latino's chest. As a result, his next words came through somewhat muffled.

"...I really don't want to leave you."

Eric couldn't help but chuckle a little at this, but soon he was frowning again while tousling a bit of Ryan's hair. "So then...don't?"

He felt Ryan laugh against him before pulling back to face him again. Ryan's hands rose to his back, pressing against him. He gave Eric a half-smile and a slight shrug.

"But I have to," he said. "They're all expecting me, you know."

"Okay...well, that reminds me, actually," said Eric. "Who are _they_? I know you've told me you're going with people from Miami-Dade, but you never actually told me _who_. Specifically, I mean."

"Bobby, Nate, and Darin," Ryan said so quickly, it almost seemed automatic. "Three of my oldest friends on the force."

Eric frowned, trying to place them. "Names don't really ring a bell...have I met them?"

"Maybe, but I doubt it," Ryan half-murmured. "Even _I_ hadn't heard from them in a while...we all kind of lost touch after I switched departments."

Eric blinked, somewhat surprised. "Oh geez...I'm sorry, Ry...that kind of thought never even once crossed my mind."

"Huh? What kind of thought?" Ryan asked, looking at him, confusion evident in his eyes.

Eric laughed. "Well, I mean, we weren't exactly on the best terms when you first joined our team. I mean, I was so mad H seemed so quick to replace Speed that I..."

He trailed off for a minute there Ryan waited patiently, knowing Eric will eventually finish his thought. It still wasn't easy for Eric to talk or think about his late friend, Timothy Speedle, even after all these years. Sure enough, Eric was able to continue a second or two later, as if he never got distracted.

"Well, honestly I think I might have totally forgot that you were an officer before you became a crime scene investigator. Like it never occurred to me that you probably had people before you changed teams...people you were close to...for some reason," Eric finished with a sheepish shrug.

Ryan's lips twitched involuntarily upward at the corners. "Gee, thanks, _E_. Glad to hear you thought I was such a winner back then."

"Aw, c'mon, that's not fair," Eric said with a laugh. "I mean, look, it all turned out right in the end, didn't it?"

Ryan shook his head and gave Eric a warm smile. "Yeah...yeah, I guess it did."

Eric half-smiled. "Well, I know we don't have that much time now, but...tell me about them later? Maybe I could even meet them sometime?"

"Hm, yeah, sure," Ryan said with a nod. "Maybe."

The brunette sighed then and once again Eric was right back to frowning. "All right, now what?"

"Time..." Ryan said at first, and then shook his head. "I mean, you're right. We're running out of time. I've got to get to the airport."

"Sure you don't want me to give you a lift?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Ryan said, reluctantly pulling away from Eric and making his way to their walk-in closet to pack a few last-minute. "It's all arranged anyhow. Don't want to mess up the order, you know?"

Eric resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Oh yeah, believe me, I know."

He failed miserably at suppressing his smile when Ryan playfully snapped at him from within the closet. "Now what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what you think it does, babe," Eric tossed lightly back.

He ducked the ball of sock that Ryan chucked at his head before the brunette walked back out of the closet with his rolling suitcase and a tie hung around his neck. He could tell Ryan was trying his hardest not to laugh while his fingers worked on his tie.

"And here I was about to tell you how much I'm going to miss you," Ryan said. " _Asshole_."

"But you still love me," Eric said with a cocky grin.

His lover's fingers hesitated, but only for the briefest of moments. Eric noticed but thought nothing of it. Ryan's eyes grew serious.

"I do," he said, in a tone that's very matter-of-fact. "I love you."

"...I love you too, Ry," Eric said, a little hesitant in his response only because he was once again somewhat thrown by Ryan's sudden change in mood.

In a minute, Ryan walked over and threw his arms around Eric's neck and in the next moment, their lips were locked together. Ryan was the first to pull away.

"I've got to go," he said.

"You _sure_ you don't want me there?" Eric asked. "Not even just to send you off? I can drive separately, you know, if it bothers you so much for me to take you there. Though again, I'll admit I'm still finding it difficult to understand why that's such a problem for you right now."

"I know," Ryan said. "I'm sorry...it's just, I know that if you're there, I'm probably just going to change my mind and not go through with this."

"Then don't go," said Eric. "Stay."

"I want to," said Ryan. "Believe me, I do, but they're waiting for me."

Eric sighed. "Yeah, okay. All right. I get it."

He couldn't help but laugh a little. "Geez, look at us. Since when did we start having such separation anxiety issues."

Ryan laughed along with him and shook his head. "Yeah, I know right? Look at us, we're such a mess. Maybe this little short break might be a good thing after all."

Eric smile turned into a frown. "This isn't a break."

Ryan winced and held up his hands defensively. "Yeah, yeah, sorry. Bad choice of words. You know I was never good with 'em."

"I know," Eric said.

He pressed one last kiss to Ryan's forehead. Ryan lifted a hand to cup the left side of Eric's face and he smiled up at the older man.

"I'll be going now, then," he said before turning to grab the handle of his suitcase.

"All right," said Eric. "I'll watch you from the window."

Ryan stopped just before walking completely out their bedroom door. "Sure. Actually, hey...Eric?"

"Yeah?"

Eric raised an eyebrow and Ryan turned to look at him for a second. "Listen...leave the blinds the way they are right now, okay? Down to the bottom rail and slats tilted all the way up, just like when we're sleeping. You should still be able to see me."

"Uh...all right," Eric said. "Any particular reason?"

"Yeah," Ryan said with a half-smile. "So it doesn't bother me while I'm away."

Eric's eyebrow lowered and he laughed. "Oh, is _that_ all? You're impossible, you know that, Ry?"

"So you tell me every chance you get," Ryan said, chuckling softly. "Also..."

" _Yes_ , Your Highness," said Eric. "What else can I do for you? Your every wish is my command."

Ryan shook his head and laughed. "Oh, stop it. Be serious for a second, will you?"

"I _am_ being serious," Eric said, pretending to look hurt. "You just never take me seriously."

"And how can I?" Ryan asked, smiling still. "What, with your track record and all."

"Hey! Come on!"

"Just being honest here," said Ryan. "Anyway, listen...since I know you're going to miss me, why don't you hang out at Calleigh's for a few days?"

"What?" Eric asked. "You mean like, _stay over_ at Calleigh's?"

Ryan shrugged. "If you want to."

Eric frowned. "I mean, yeah, sure, Calleigh and I are good friends and all, but that's kind of a random suggestion still, don't you think? I mean, why would I want to do all that? I'm going to miss you, sure, Ry, but I'm not a little kid. I can handle being by myself for a couple days."

"Ugh, all right, _fine_ ," Ryan grumbled. "I guess it was a little too wishful of me to think you'd agree to the arrangement quietly."

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked. "What arrangement?"

"The one where Calleigh has the first piece to the puzzle of a little game I thought up for us," Ryan said with a sigh.

"A game?" Eric asked, not bothering to hide his confusion.

" _You know_ ," Ryan said. "Like the one we did on Valentine's Day this year?"

"Wha... _oh_!" Eric said, brightening suddenly; he remembered exactly what Ryan was talking about. "You mean the one that led me right back to you on the bed completely—"

" _Yes_ , Eric," Ryan said, seemingly unable to choose between looking amused or exasperated with the older man.

If Eric didn't know any better too, he would also say that he almost saw a flicker of something close to relief in the other man's expression as well, though he couldn't imagine why that would be. Perhaps this was one of those tests, like the kind most women liked to throw at men. A test, to see if one could recall a certain conversation or special moment; something along those lines. Judging from Ryan's reaction, Eric wanted to say it was probably safe to assume that he just passed.

"All right, so go to Calleigh's," he said. "Then what?"

"Then she'll give you what you need to get started," said Ryan. "Don't worry, she's been informed. She'll know what it is you're looking for when you ask her."

"Okay, but she's not like...a _key player_ in this game, is she?" Eric asked.

Ryan frowned. "What? Augh! No! Not at all!"

Eric laughed a little at this. "Okay, good. For a minute there I wasn't sure if this was going to be going in a weird direction or something."

"You're a piece of work sometimes, you know that?"

Eric smiled. "Sure I do, not that you ever let me forget it."

"All right," said Ryan. "That's it. Seriously, I'm going now, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Eric said with a nod. "Love you."

"Love you too."

It was probably the most they'd said the phrase to each other in a single day, not that either of them were really keeping track. Finally, Ryan really did leave. Soon he was down the stairs and out the door; Eric knew it because he heard the familiar sound of their front door opening and clapping shut. He made his way to the window, making sure to leave the blinds closed with the slats in their upward tilt, as tight as can be, just the way Ryan had asked him to. He watched as a taxi cab pulled up as close as it could to where Ryan was standing; watched as Ryan approached the car. Fortunately, he could still see out well enough, though the thought eventually occurred to him that the other man probably would not be able to see _him_. And with that thought, several other little observations his mind had apparently taken inventory of subconsciously suddenly rose to the surface, pestering him more than they had during his conversation with Ryan.

The watch Ryan didn't keep looking for. The tie he never finish tightening. Certain details of his trip he had forgotten to tell Eric, only doing so when Eric prodded him for answers. All so unusual and very unlike Ryan, even on his worst day. Ryan was the type who didn't stop looking for something that he thought was lost or misplaced, oftentimes disrupting the flow of the rest of his schedule just so he could track the item down. He didn't forget to finish getting ready and looking presentable, nor had he ever withheld information from Eric or failed to go over every little detail. If anything, Ryan was usually more than happy to tell Eric pretty much everything, even if Eric wasn't entirely interested in knowing anything beyond what he considered most important, which was Ryan's state of health, happiness, and overall well-being.

What bothered Eric the most was how Ryan never once turned to look up in his direction—he just threw his suitcase in the taxi's trunk and then getting into the rear passenger seat of the car before allowing himself to be driven away, not even giving Eric so much as a smile or a wave. Perhaps it shouldn't have bothered Eric so much, but it did, even hours after Ryan had gone.

It was because, Eric realized at some point while lying on their bed and staring at the ceiling, that Ryan's body language seemed an awful lot like he was saying good-bye. As if he wasn't planning on ever coming back. The idea was so strange, so foreign and very out of place for Eric. _Surely_ , he thought, Ryan wasn't walking out of his life forever. The very idea disturbed Eric enough though that he found himself jumping for his phone, which was on the nightstand next to his side of the bed.

He sent Ryan a text. _"When did you say you're coming back?"_

The ping came back almost immediately, and Eric let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, relieved; Ryan wasn't planning on leaving him after all. _"The conference goes for about three days."_

Eric quickly typed back his response. _"Want me to pick you up from the airport?"_

The reply came back again instantly. _"Won't be necessary."_

Eric sighed. Ryan was being more difficult than usual. Eric started to really wonder if perhaps he _had_ done something recently to upset the other man after all, but he decided not to worry about that for now; they could deal with it when Ryan returned from his trip.

He sent another message. _"Well, at least text me once a day or give me a call while you're there?"_

There was a long pause between this message and Ryan's response—about five minutes, at the very least. The somewhat unexpected delay agitated Eric enough that he spent those minutes pacing back and forth the room while he waited. Finally though, Ryan's text came through and Eric practically pounced on his phone to read what was written there. Much to his disappointment, there were only two words.

" _I'll try."_

* * *

**A/N:** Looking forward to hearing what readers think on this site! 

 


	2. I: Not The Typical Scavenger Hunt

 

**Author's Note:** This is probably the first time I am writing a story without having done extensive pre-planning beforehand, so even I don't think I have a solid idea where this is going to end up.  Perhaps I have a vague idea...not quite sure if what I'm thinking right now will actually end up being the direction this story goes though.  Anyway, I hope readers enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**I**

_It's when he discovers the truth, that Eric panics._

"You look like you haven't been getting much sleep."

Eric looked up and smiled at the blonde who had addressed him. "Hey, Calleigh. Yeah, I've just been looking over the envelope you gave me last night."

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Calleigh asked. "You've got circles under your eyes."

Her co-worker gave a slight shrug. "Eh, not really."

"I didn't think so," Calleigh said, shaking her head. "Here, let me make you some coffee."

"Thanks, Cal."

"Don't mention it."

They were in Calleigh's apartment. Eric hadn't called her right away, but he did end up getting in touch with her and came over several hours after Ryan had left for the airport. She had given Eric the envelope Ryan had left with her several days before at the crime lab, telling her it was part of a scavenger hunt kind of game. Calleigh had been more than happy to participate, and was quite curious about the contents of the envelope; Ryan had made her swear up and down not to open it and to keep it in a safe place until Eric asked for it, and Calleigh had carried out the man's wishes to the letter.

Calleigh pulled out a pair of mugs from one of her kitchen cabinets and began to prepare some coffee. She glanced over at Eric, who was seated on a bar stool by the island. His shoulders were hunched over and his brows were furrowed in concentration. One hand rested against Ryan's card, the other held a pencil which was hovering over a piece of scratch paper that was beside the clue with several of Eric's scribbles.

"So," Calleigh said, trying her best to sound casual and not overly curious. "What does it say?"

"Well the message is cryptic like always," said Eric. "But then he's listed a whole bunch of numbers after that, in column format...I know the two are connected somehow; Ryan never leaves me completely hanging. I'm just still trying to figure out how."

Calleigh started up the coffee brewer and then turned around. She leaned forward on her side of the island, looking across at Eric.

"Mind if I take a look with you?" she asked.

Eric sighed. "Sure."

Calleigh half-smiled. "If you don't feel comfortable, it's okay. I know it's a personal thing between the two of you."

"Nah," Eric said, shaking his head. "I actually think I could use some help. The last time we did this, Ryan's clues were more straightforward."

"Like the man himself," Calleigh said with a small smile.

"Yeah," Eric said, chuckling at first before his expression grew dark. "This though...this is different."

Calleigh tilted her head to one side. "How so?"

"It's like...a crime scene on a card," said Eric. "I mean, there's just so many layers to it this time. Actually, it's pretty strange. It's clear he wants me to figure it out...but I'm not sure I get why he made the clue so complex this time."

"Maybe you figured it out too quickly the last time," said Calleigh.

Eric chuckled. "I mean, well...yeah, I did, but I thought that was the point?"

Calleigh laughed. "Well, you know that Ryan has a bit of a competitive spirit."

"True," Eric said, laughing along with her. "I guess he wants me to work harder this year. He did say something about switching things up before he left."

"Oh?" Calleigh said with a raised brow. "Sounds interesting."

"Funny enough, I think that's what he's going for," Eric said with a smile.

Calleigh laughed, walked over to the other side of the island, and slid onto a bar stool next to Eric. She leaned forward to take a look at the card and Eric moved the hand that had been covering part of it.

"All right. Let's take a look at what we've got here," Calleigh said before she went on to read small blurb at the top of the card. " _Dear E_...aww, is that his pet name for you? That's sweet."

Though Eric's skin was dark, it wasn't enough to hide the blush that tinted his cheeks. "Come on, Cal."

"Sorry, sorry," Calleigh said dismissively, though she didn't seem all that apologetic. "Let me start that again. _Dear E. F_ _igure this out by 4:_ _07pm_ _and you'll have your prize._ _By the way, don't forget about our cruise in August._ _I'm going to keep reminding you until you commit it to memory_ _so you don't forget like you did_ _with the cherry blossoms._ _Love you._ "

Following the message was a long list of numbers that appeared to be sorted by five columns of twenty-three rows, which were equal in length. Calleigh frowned as her eyes skimmed over the list.

"Well that sure is a lot of information," she said.

"Yeah, and believe it or not, every part is necessary to figure out the whole," said Eric. "Ryan's not the type to waste his words."

"No, he isn't," Calleigh agreed. "You said his clues are normally not this complex. How did he write them before?"

"Well they were never this long, for one," said Eric. "From what I remember, he pretty much stuck to one-liners."

"To cater to your short attention span?"

"Ha- _ha_ , very funny, Cal."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," said Calleigh.

She looked at the numbers again. After a few minutes, she inclined her head toward Eric. "It reminds me of math class and matrices. What have you tried with the numbers?"

"Well, at first I thought about adding the rows and columns together separately, see if the answers meant anything," said Eric. "Then I realized there could be countless ways to pair the numbers together."

"Right," Calleigh said, nodding.

"So then I took a closer look at the numbers," said Eric. "There are no zeroes, and none of the numbers go over twenty-six. In fact, the highest number written on the card is a twenty-five."

Calleigh took a closer look at the card. "You're right."

Eric continued. "That's when I thought, _basic cryptography_."

Understanding lit up in Calleigh's eyes. She looked at Eric.

"Twenty-six letters in the alphabet! So each number should correspond with a letter."

"Right," Eric said with a sigh. "Except the message still doesn't make sense."

Calleigh frowned and her shoulders slumped a little. "Oh. Why? What did you find that it said?"

"Well, at the moment, twenty-three sets of nonsensical gibberish," said Eric. "I mean, the first row comes out as _cmecs_."

"Could it be a word scramble?"

"I thought of that, but the words still didn't make much sense in context."

"Hm..." Calleigh worried her bottom lip, brows knit together in thought. "Then maybe there's something we're missing."

She took another long look at the card. Her expression relaxed, only slightly, as an idea came to her.

"Eric, based on what you told me, he should have left you a breadcrumb or two, right?" she asked. "How about within the first paragraph?"

"You're right," said Eric. "I should have thought about that. Maybe he left a second key."

"A second key?"

"Yeah," Eric said, nodding. "In every card, he always leaves me two messages. The first is always a riddle or a puzzle, and the resulting answer is what leads to the next clue."

"Okay, I follow so far," said Calleigh.

"Good," said Eric. "Now here's what I mean by this one is more complicated. At first glance, there appear to be two messages; the paragraph and the numbers. You brought up a good point though, and it gets me to thinking maybe the two parts are more connected than I initially thought."

"So then let's break it apart," said Calleigh. "Every word is significant, right?"

"Right."

"Okay, so then let's start with the way he greets you," said Calleigh. "Anything significant there?"

Eric thought for a minute. "He uses 'dear' instead of the usual 'hey' that he uses when writing notes."

Calleigh quirked an eyebrow. "Is that really so unusual coming from him?"

"Actually, it is," said Eric. "It's part of what's been bothering me about this card all night...it's like he wants to come across casual, but he's really being serious."

"Maybe he's trying to propose?" Calleigh asked.

Eric laughed. "No way."

"You seem rather sure about that."

"Ry would probably let hell freeze over first," said Eric. "For all the blunt words that come out of his mouth, he's actually pretty shy."

"Ah. So it's his defense mechanism."

"Don't let on that you know."

"The secret's safe with me," Calleigh said with a smile. "Let's get back on track. _Figure this out by 4:_ _07pm_ _and you'll have your prize_?"

"He's telling me where the next clue is," said Eric. "That's what he means by 'prize.' 4:07pm is important in figuring it out, but I still need to think about that for a bit."

"Okay. How about the cruise he mentions?"

"That...I'm actually not sure about that," said Eric. "I think I'm going to have to check the calendar back at our apartment."

Calleigh raised an eyebrow. "What, so you don't remember when it is?"

"No," Eric said, shaking his head. "If we were going on a cruise, believe me, I'd know. At the very least that would be that part I'd remember, us going on a trip."

Calleigh's brow arched higher. "Are you saying there is no cruise?"

"That's _exactly_ what I'm saying," said Eric. "I can remember general details fine—it's the _specifics_ I tend to forget."

"Like dates?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah, like dates," said Eric.

"Typical. Men," Calleigh said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Ryan remembers," said Eric.

"Ryan is OCD," said Calleigh. "He's the exception."

"Right, whatever," said Eric. "Anyway, I can't figure out what that part means until I go back to our apartment. Ryan probably wrote something on one of the calendars."

"Well then," said Calleigh. "Looks like we need to go on a little field trip back to your place."

"Yeah, looks like," said Eric.

The two CSI's got up from their seats. Calleigh went to her room to fetch her keys. Eric made sure not to forget Ryan's card, folding it in half and placing it, the paper with his handwritten notes, and the pen he was holding into one of his pants pockets. In a few minutes they were out the door and in Calleigh's car, on the way back to Eric and Ryan's shared apartment.

"So tell me," Calleigh said, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove. "What's the story behind the cherry blossoms?"

Eric looked at her, confused. "Huh?"

"In the card," said Calleigh. "Ryan mentions cherry blossoms and how you forgot about them."

"Oh that," said Eric. "It's a long story."

Calleigh looked at him from the corner of her eye. "You don't think the details of that incident might be important at all in decoding Ryan's message?"

Eric shook his head. "No, I don't see why it would. I think that sentence is actually to remind me to check the calendar on the fridge."

"How do you figure?"

"I used to only rely on what I put in my phone to remind me what I needed to do on any given day," said Eric. "There was this one time though, sometime last year, where I had promised to meet Ryan we'd go to an art exhibit featuring works that had a Japanese theme. He was particularly interested in seeing the cherry blossom paintings."

"Let me guess," said Calleigh. "You forgot to put it in your phone."

"I sure did," Eric said with a slight chuckle. "Poor Ryan, he had been looking forward to that exhibit for _weeks_. The day we were supposed to go was a Saturday, which also happened to be the last day the exhibit would run before it'd get packed up and sent to the next town. Since I didn't have the reminder set in my phone, I ended up picking up some overtime at the lab, thinking it'd be fine. By the time I got home, Ryan was fuming."

"Tsk, tsk. And rightfully so," said Calleigh.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Eric. "I got an earful and a half from that and I admit that I deserved it. After that, Ryan went out and bought a calendar, pinned it to the fridge with magnets, and he's been marking important dates and times on it ever since. It's become part of my routine now to look and see if he's added anything, at least once a day. I do it over coffee right before I go out the door and head to work."

"He's got you so well-trained," Calleigh said, clearly amused.

Eric shrugged. "Hey, anything to keep the peace, right?"

Calleigh laughed. They reached the apartment complex and she had only barely put the car in park when something caught her eye. Eric had been about to unbuckle his seat belt when Calleigh touched his arm with one of her hands, causing him to look up.

"Eric...isn't that your window?" Calleigh asked slowly.

Eric frowned at the curtains that were partially fluttering out the window of his apartment. "Yeah, I think so."

"I don't suppose you left the window wide open like that when you left, right?" Calleigh said drily.

"No, Calleigh...I sure didn't."

"What are the chances Ryan's come back home early?"

"He's not supposed to come back until tomorrow," said Eric. "Even if he were back, he would have called me first."

"Well then let's hope for your sake he simply forgot this time," Calleigh said, her hand brushing against her side where she kept a concealed pistol for off-duty hours. "You got your firearm?"

"Yeah," Eric said with a nod, his hand also going for his holster. "I'll call Horatio."

"Good idea."

Eric pulled out his phone and called their boss from his speed dial. Horatio answered on the second ring.

" _Eric?"_

"Hey, H."

" _Everything all right?"_

"No, not quite," said Eric.

" _What's the situation?"_

"I think someone might have been in my house," said Eric. "Or...they could still be in there, I don't know. I doubt it though."

" _And you're sure about this?_

" _I see...Eric, are you alone?"_

"No, Calleigh's here with me."

" _Good. Listen, Eric, I will be there as soon as I can, and I'm sending back-up."_

"Can we approach the scene?" Eric asked.

" _With extreme caution. Eric, at the first sign of trouble, I want the two of you to pull out immediately until help arrives, you understand?"_

Eric looked over at Calleigh, who nodded; she could faintly hear Horatio's deep voice come through from the other side of Eric's phone. Eric gave her a half-smile.

"Yeah, H," he said. "We'll be careful."

" _Then I'll be seeing you both soon."_

The phone call terminated with a click and Eric quickly put his phone away before looking back at Calleigh. "You ready to get going?"

"I'll take that as a rhetorical question," the blonde said as she opened the door to get out of her car.

The two CSI's wasted no time in going up to the fourth floor of the apartment building. They each took places on either side of the front door, pistols drawn. Eric tried the knob and found the door to be unlocked. He and Calleigh exchanged a glance when the door pried slightly ajar without much effort. They gave each other one curt nod before Eric nudged the door all the way open with his foot, then the two of them walked in. It didn't take long, however, for them to sweep the apartment.

"Clear!" Calleigh called from the kitchen.

"Clear," Eric echoed.

"Find anything unusual?" Calleigh asked.

"Yeah," said Eric. "Could you come here a sec? I'm in the master bedroom."

"Sure," Calleigh said, putting her pistol back in its holster and walked in to the room.

She gasped upon seeing the state of the bedroom. Unlike the rest of the apartment, it looked like a tornado had come through it. Objects were either smashed or strewn on the floor and drawers were opened with some of their contents spilling out from them.

"Well they sure had their way with the place," Calleigh muttered. "The way they tore this place up; it's like they were looking for something."

Eric shook his head. "Maybe, but I actually think they're trying to _tell_ me something. As far as I can tell, nothing's missing."

Calleigh raised an eyebrow. "You were able to make a determination that quickly?"

Eric sighed. "All right, nothing of real value seems to be missing."

The eyebrow lowered. "Okay, so what do you think they're trying to say? Whoever they are."

"I don't know..." said Eric. "To prove a point maybe? That they can come and go whenever they please? That this place isn't safe?"

"And that they've got eyes on you," Calleigh said, her expression grim. "I'm not getting the sense that this is a random event."

"No," Eric agreed.

"Any idea who might be looking for you and why?"

Eric's lips pressed into a firm line. Calleigh tilted her head to the side.

"Eric?"

"Were you in the kitchen earlier?" asked Eric.

Calleigh nodded. "I was."

"Did you happen to see the calendar up on the fridge, by any chance?"

"I think so," said Calleigh. "But I wasn't really looking for it."

"That's okay," said Eric. "I'll go check and see if it's still there."

"Eric, shouldn't we be..." Calleigh trailed off and her eyes widened. "You think they're related, somehow?"

She followed Eric out into the kitchen. Eric shook his head.

"I'm not sure," he said. "But I can't help but think that it might. I get the feeling this isn't really a coincidence."

He sighed with relief upon seeing the calendar still on the fridge. It currently displayed the month of July. Eric flipped it to the next page and scanned over the dates.

"August 22nd," he read aloud. "Ryan wrote 'Speed Date Cruise at five' in the box."

"He wanted you both to go speed dating?" Calleigh asked quizzically.

Eric frowned. "Yeah, that doesn't seem right, does it?"

"Not at all."

Eric groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "Damn it, what the hell am I missing?"

"Maybe we should take a look at Ryan's clue again," Calleigh suggested.

"Ah, you're right," said Eric.

He dug the now somewhat crumpled card and piece of paper from out of his pocket. He then tilted his head in the direction of the dining table and pair of chairs. Calleigh nodded as Eric walked over and took a seat; she followed suit. Eric smoothed out Ryan's card and his piece of notepaper. He also pulled a pen out of his pocket and gave Calleigh a lopsided smile.

"Borrowed this from your house."

Calleigh shrugged. "I have plenty."

"Thanks," said Eric.

He briefly scanned the notes he had written back at Calleigh's before flipping the paper over to its blank side. He began to scratch out some new notes.

"Okay, so here's what we've got so far," said Eric. "Still need to figure out what he meant by 4:07pm...the cruise was marked for August 22nd at 5 o'clock and mentions speed dating..."

Eric frowned. "Neither of those really tells me how to read the numbers though. At least, I don't think so. I think they both have to do with where the second clue is."

"Well, what about the cherry blossoms he mentions?" Calleigh asked. "Maybe he meant something more by them besides telling you to look at the calendar."

At that moment, Calleigh's phone went off. The ring tone was some song by a band called The Who. Eric raised an eyebrow.

"It's Horatio," said Calleigh. "I assigned this one specifically to him. Seems to fit his personality, doesn't it?"

Eric chuckled. "Yeah, actually it kind of does. I can almost picture him saying some witty remark and then putting on his sunglasses."

"Or him saying something smart and then taking them off," Calleigh said with a smile. "Let me take this."

Eric nodded. "Right."

"Hello, Horatio?" Calleigh said, answering the phone and getting up from her seat. "Yes, everything's clear here; we're fine."

Her voice began to sound gradually more distant to Eric as he became more focused on what was in front of him. He decided Calleigh's observation about the cherry blossoms had some validity to it, so he concentrated on that. He listed out all the characteristics he could think of that related to cherry blossoms, "spring," "pink," and "Japanese" among them. His pen stopped right as he finished writing out "Japanese," as the word triggered in him an old memory of a conversation he and Ryan had sometime after Eric had caused them to miss the art exhibit.

As penance, Eric spent the next several days listening to Ryan's mini-lectures about Japanese art and culture. For reasons beyond Eric, the younger man had held an avid interest in the subject.

" _Want to know something interesting about Japanese text?"_ Ryan had asked him.

Eric hadn't known, and of course he asked. He remembered Ryan smiling at him as he explained.

" _Well, you know how we read left-to-right? They read right to left. Not only that, you read in columns, top to bottom. Here, let me show you."_

Ryan had gotten out a piece of paper and a pen then so that he could demonstrate. He scribbled several sentences in English vertically, then pointed to them.

" _See? On instinct, you and I would like to read these sentences left-to-right because of how we were taught, but then these sentences wouldn't make much sense, would they? It's only upon figuring out that you have to read them vertically that they make any kind of sense. Although...if you still try to read them left-to-right..."_

Eric's eyes widened as he came to a realization. He flipped over the sheet of paper he was writing on to show the message he had decoded earlier and his eyes quickly scanned over the page. He muttered a few curses under his breath and his expression became rigid. It turned out that he had translated the message correctly, but his method at trying to read the words had been all wrong. Reading it left-to-right, the whole message came out backwards. Ryan's mention of cherry blossoms in his card had been more about checking the calendar; it was also an explanation as to how the decoded message should be read—vertically, and right-to-left. Reading it that way, the message made perfect sense, and upon realizing what Ryan had written to him, Eric blanched.

"Horatio said he'd be up here in a minute; he's having people check the perimeter," Calleigh said, her voice cutting clear through Eric's troubled thoughts.

She frowned upon seeing the look on Eric's face. "What is it, Eric? What's wrong?"

It took a second for Eric to find his voice. "I don't think he went to Chicago, Calleigh. In fact, I'm not sure if I could tell you right now where he is at all."

"What?" Calleigh asked, her eyes widening in alarm. "Eric, what are you saying?"

"He's in big trouble, Calleigh," Eric said, pushing his notes in front of her, message side up. "Look."

Calleigh's eyes trailed over Eric's notes. There was the vertically translated message, which she had seen before, but beside it was the same message written horizontally. Calleigh let out a soft gasp.

"Oh Eric," she whispered, looking at the man with a soft expression.

Eric swallowed. "I know."

"We have to tell Horatio..."

"And it seems that I've made my entrance just in time," came the familiar cool and clipped voice of their superior.

Both CSI's turned to look at Horatio, who had just entered through the open doorway. He approached them at the dining table. The redhead's sunglasses were already off and tucked away in one of his jacket's pockets. Calleigh lifted the paper from the table and handed it to Horatio. The older man frowned as he read it.

"Eric," he said. "About how long would you say it's been since you last saw Ryan?"

"Not since he left yesterday," said Eric. "That was at about four in the afternoon."

Horatio glanced at his watch. "It's about that hour now. Eric. Call Ryan."

"Yeah," Eric said, voice shaking as he got out his phone. "Yeah, okay."

"If he doesn't answer," said Horatio. "Then that means whoever has a hold of him has already got a head start on us by about a day. You both know what that means—we will need to work very quickly."

The blonde and dark-haired CSI exchanged a look; they knew what Horatio was telling them. The chances of recovering a missing person was heavily dependent on how much time elapsed since the person went missing, and every hour right down to the second was crucial. The chance of finding that person alive typically decreased dramatically with each passing day.

"Yeah, oh God..." Eric said, eyes closing as he pressed Ryan's name from his speed dial and put the phone to his ear. "Why didn't I think to act sooner?"

"You couldn't have known, Eric," Calleigh tried to sooth him. "Nobody could have seen this coming."

"But I did," Eric said, shaking his head, becoming more agitated with every unanswered ring. "You don't understand, Cal, he was acting so funny right before he left. I just..."

" _Hey guys, it's Ryan!"_ the brunette's chipper voice came through the earpiece of Eric's phone. _"I can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name, number, and a brief message, I'll..."_

"Shit," Eric said, ending the call. "He's not answering."

"Then I'm sorry to say it, but it appears we have a missing person's case on our hands," said Horatio. "Now, assuming we've all understood Ryan's message clearly, I suggest we keep this in the family. Are we in agreement on this?"

He looked between his two CSI's. Both nodded in response.

"Good," Horatio said. "Then I expect you two to process this apartment like you would any other crime scene. Eric, I'm going to have Walter bring a van so you can load anything you'd like to take off the premises. Both of you sit tight for now; I'll have him bring your equipment as well."

"Thank you, Horatio," said Calleigh.

"Yes," said Eric. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome," Horatio said with a small nod. "Now I'm going to go make that call, as well as round up the rest of our team."

"What's the story we'll have circulating the department?" Calleigh asked.

"Just a break-in," said Horatio. "Which isn't a lie—we're just keeping the facts to a bare minimum. As far as we know, it was a freak incident. No further investigations planned. All right?"

Calleigh nodded. "All right."

"Good," said Horatio. "Then we're on the same page."

With that, he put on his shades and walked out the door. Overwhelmed, Eric slumped back in his seat. His mind barely registered the comforting squeeze Calleigh gave one of his shoulders.

* * *

**A/N:** So originally I had written out the numbers on Ryan's card, but the formatting just looked so funky when I tried to post it that I decided to take it out altogether. As a result...I am now going to leave you all wondering what Ryan wrote to Eric until next chapter! Muahahaha.

OH, and since I _am_ writing on the fly for once, that means reader feedback has the chance to really influence how this story gets shaped. Right now I'm debating whether or not to transform this story into a Criminal Minds crossover. What do you guys think? Cast your votes in the reviews! Looking forward to hearing from readers, and hope to see everyone again soon!


	3. II: A Temporary Merger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently I'm not only awful at updating, I'm also terrible at cross-posting. Just cross-posted another fic (in the Pacific Rim fandom) and I'm in the process of updating this one from ffnet. Sorry for the delay! The better bet would be to follow the story on ffnet, as I update there first. I consider that account my primary.

**II**

Eric had cleaned Ryan's message to him, adding punctuation and capitalizing letters when necessary. His head was spinning, understandably overwhelmed with the amount of information he possessed. He now had more information than he knew what to do with, and it didn't help at all knowing he still needed to figure out how to find the next clue. In the back of his mind, Eric knew that finding the next hint should have been his main focus, but he couldn't help being distracted by Ryan's decrypted message; words that seemed to be glaring at him from his page of notes.

" _Sorry I have to tell you this way."_

That was the first part of Ryan's secret message to him. Eric's stomach was already turning from that sentence alone. His lover was many things, but extreme paranoia was not one of them. Sure there was that one case where Eric had gotten Ryan spooked about Santaria, but Ryan's skepticism transformed to genuine fear only _after_ he had seen what he considered to be undeniable proof of a "curse." So to Eric, the fact that it appeared Ryan believed that the only way to properly warn him was through messages that were vague even after being deciphered did not settle well with him at all. The sentence that followed only seemed to affirm that Ryan had felt he had legitimate reasons in expressing his concerns to Eric in this way.

" _Be careful, Big B has eyes and ears in Dade."_

"Big B" was an obvious Orwell reference. Again, Eric knew Ryan wasn't warning him of a suspected threat—he was assuring him of a very real one. The team had experienced moles within their midst before; this is the part of the message that led to Horatio's firm decision of not including anyone other than who they could most trust on this otherwise unofficial investigation of theirs. Those currently in the know were the usual suspects; himself, Frank, Natalia, Walter, Tom, and of course Calleigh and Horatio. According to Calleigh, Horatio had also called and informed Alexx of the situation, and she had responded favorably, promising to be on standby and to help in any way she could. Eric knew how significant that gesture was, especially knowing why she left the force in the first place, and he was extremely grateful for her willingness to participate.

It would be tricky, concealing their investigative efforts from practically the entire force and keeping their meetings as discreet as possible. They were looking for the spies Ryan had implied were planted in their ranks, but so far there were no solid leads. It appeared Ryan hadn't been able to figure out who they were either, because if he had, then Eric thought Ryan would have included those names in his message, like he did with the two that he did mention.

" _Ilya Elkin and T. Fletcher a team. IDK how."_

Eric didn't recognize the names, but it was clear Ryan had discovered some kind of connection between them. The sentence following the names told Eric that although Ryan was able to figure out _how_ the two names were related, he hadn't been able to determine _why_.

In particular, the first name mentioned bothered him the most. _Ilya—_ that was Russian version of the name Elijah. He recognized the name as such because his adoptive father, Pavel Delektorsky—who had shortened their surname to "Delko" upon immigrating to the United States—had a friend of the same first name. He hadn't been sure if the man held the same surname; however, and so he had called Pavel to casually ask about his friend Ilya. The conversation had been a little awkward; Eric had a good relationship with Pavel, but he had never before taken an interest in any of the man's friends, so bringing up the subject of Ilya without coming off suspiciously had been a bit of a challenge. Upon discovering that his stepfather's Ilya was not one and the same as the one Ryan had mentioned, Eric had felt relief flood through his veins. Of course, that feeling lasted quite briefly, as Eric knew that also meant he still needed to find the man from Ryan's message.

" _Please catch them."_

Ryan's request was a given, so it confused Eric. There was more to this sentence, he knew, but he hadn't figured it out just yet. He hoped he would soon. For now though, he would try to focus on what he did know.

" _Help me."_

It was the last sentence that chilled him the most. Eric concluded from it that Ryan had both gotten in over his head, and had gone deeper even while knowing that. This was what bothered Eric the most, that Ryan had quite possibly gone with his captors willingly, but for what reason, Eric couldn't guess. He felt like he needed more information. Something told him though that all he needed was already right in front of him, a thought that was both comforting and a source of his agitation. Time was of the essence in a missing persons case, and the longer it took Eric to figure out Ryan's cryptic messages, the more the chances of the team finding Ryan alive diminished by the hour.

Calleigh's voice snapped Eric out of his thoughts. "Eric."

"Oh hey, Cal," Eric said tiredly, rubbing at his eyes with his thumb and forefingers. "What's up?"

"If you don't have plans for dinner tonight...Horatio's invited us over to his place," said Calleigh.

Charcoal eyes met green ones and there was a silent exchange of information between them that was only possible due to their lengthy history together from working on the same team. Eric nodded.

"All right," he said. "I'll be there."

"Great," the blonde said in her usual chipper tone, but her eyes were not smiling; they both had a lot on their minds. "I'll be in Ballistics if you need me."

"Gotcha."

The day went by fairly quickly after that. The lack of Ryan's presence aside, the day seemed to progress like any other. In the morning, Frank, Natalia, Walter, and Tom went out on a call and came back later that afternoon. After his shift ended, Eric waited for Calleigh to wrap up her work, and the two of them went to her parking lot, hopped into their respective cars, and headed for Horatio's home. Their superior was there to greet them upon their arrival.

"Come on in," he said, gesturing toward his house as Eric and Calleigh stepped out of their cars.

Out of the corner of her eye, Calleigh observed that there was a Hummer in Horatio's lot that she knew didn't belong to him nor anyone in his family. She raised an eyebrow at him as she passed.

"Additional guests?"

"Good friends," Horatio confirmed with a nod.

He escorted the two CSI's into his kitchen. Calleigh and Eric were surprised to see a total of four men and one woman, all dressed in black suits—they looked as if they popped right out of movie about the CIA. Eric glanced over at Horatio questioningly.

"H?" he asked.

Horatio half-smiled. "Eric, Calleigh...allow me to introduce to you several members from the FBI's Behavior Analysis Unit."

He pointed to each individual, saying their names, starting with the man furthest to the left. "This is Agent David Rossi, Supervisory Special Agent, Unit Senior Agent, and one of my closest friends. He specializes in hostage negotiations."

The man named Rossi nodded his head. "How do you do? Pleasure to meet you both."

Horatio continued while his CSI's and the man shook hands. "Next to him is Agent Aaron Hotchner, Unit Chief, and one of the BAU's superior profilers."

Again, pleasantries were exchanged as well as the shaking of hands. Horatio went on.

"Next to him is Dr. Spencer Reid, Supervisory Special Agent. From what David's told me, you have an impressive memory and extremely detail-oriented."

"Oh, you flatter me, sir," said Reid.

"I told him only the truth," Rossi said with a smile, and then cocking his head toward Horatio. "His specialties also include anything involving mathematics, science, in addition to the deciphering of coded messages. He also has academic foundations in both psychology and sociology, making him a formidable asset in understanding the mindsets of our criminals."

"Perfect," Horatio said with a curt nod. "Would you like to introduce your remaining agents?"

"No, not at all," said Rossi. "Are you sure? You were on quite a roll there."

Horatio chuckled. "It's fine, David. They're your team, after all. You know how to describe them better than I can. Besides...it will be good for my team to get used to working with yours."

Rossi nodded. "Point well made. Very well."

He turned to face Eric and Calleigh before motioning in the direction of the man and woman who had yet to be introduced. "Agents Derek Morgan and Penelope Garcia. Agent Morgan is our explosives expert, and specializes in helping our department understand criminals with obsessive behavior. Agent Garcia is our behind-the-scenes Technical Analyst, and to say that she is efficient with computers is a rather gross understatement."

"Good to meet you," the man named Morgan said, shaking the CSI's hands.

"How do you do!" the woman named Garcia said in a rather chipper voice, her blonde locks bouncing as she shook Eric and Calleigh's hands.

"There are others on our team, of course," said Rossi. "And they will come at a moments notice if and when necessary, but we had a couple stay behind to keep eyes out for us back at home, so that we don't lose trustworthy eyes and ears on that front."

"We appreciate the time you've all taken out of your schedules to work with us on this case," said Horatio.

"No need for thanks, Horatio," said Rossi. "We've been friends a long time. I know you'd do the same for us. Besides, another criminal brought to justice is another welcomed success for the FBI."

"All the same, thank you," said Horatio.

Eric cleared his throat, and all eyes were now on him. He did his best not to squirm under all the questioning gazes.

"So uh...I think I'm a little confused here," he said. "What exactly is going on?"

"Eric, Agent Rossi and his team are experts in tracking murderers and recovering missing persons," Horatio said gently. "David is a close friend of mine. I briefed him on our situation last night, and he and his team flew in to our city earlier this morning. You remember Frank and the others left for a few hours earlier today?"

Eric nodded numbly.

"On record, they were investigating a potential crime scene," said Horatio. "Off the record, they all met here and rendezvoused with David and his team well before you and Calleigh arrived."

"You divided us," said Calleigh.

"Correct," Horatio said, nodding.

"A good way to avoid suspicion," Reid piped up. "Lieutenant Caine informed us that there may be spies planted within your force, so it was thought that splitting your group up to meet and become acquainted with us would be best."

"Ah," said Calleigh. "That makes sense."

"All right," said Eric. "I think I get it...but what makes you think we need their help, H? We have a good handle on things here."

"Eric!" Calleigh gasped.

"No, it's quite all right," Reid said, holding up a hand. "An inability to adapt seamlessly to sudden changes is normal in high-stress situations, especially since we are well aware of the personal level of which you are all attached to this case."

Eric's expression grew tight, but he had the wisdom not to argue further. This man Reid had just given him an out in regards to his behavior, and Eric knew he'd be a fool to do anything other than take it. Hotchner's cool voice cut into the tense atmosphere.

"The time we spend standing here is precious time wasted that could be used in solving this case," he said. "Officer Delko, was it?"

"Yes, that's correct," Eric replied with a nod.

"We've been told you've received communication with our victim..."

"Please don't call him that..." Eric said softly, his voice shaking slightly. "Victim or whatever. That's what we call the bodies that we bag and tag. I mean...I know that's also what we call people subject to a crime, but please... _please_ call him by his name. It's Ryan...Ryan Wolfe."

Hotchner nodded. "I apologize. Our team does not wish to make things more difficult for you. We will call him Ryan from here on; or would you prefer we address him by his surname?"

Eric shook his head. "Just Ryan is fine...thank you, Agent Hotchner."

"Say no more," said Hotchner. "We all understand. Each of our team has experienced being more personally involved in a case than we would have liked."

Eric tilted his head and read something in Hotchner's eyes that, along with the weight of the other man's words, turned his initial opinion of the BAU team completely around. Slowly coming to his senses, Eric inwardly berated himself for allowing emotions to get in the way of professionalism, and he could almost hear the lecture Ryan probably would have given him at that very moment. Eric's throat tightened at the thought.

"Now," Hotchner said, his voice successfully recapturing Eric's focus. "As I was saying, Lieutenant Caine has informed us you received some kind of message from Ryan?"

Eric nodded. "Yes. It's...on a card. It's a scavenger hunt-type of thing...sort of a Valentine's Day tradition. He leaves clues and I...I follow them back to him."

He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck, his expression sheepish. "Sorry, I know how weird that sounds."

"Oh, not at all!" the blonde woman named Garcia said brightly. "I think that's so sweet!"

Eric couldn't help the small flush that rose in his cheeks. The agent with eyes as intense as Hotchner's gave him a half-smile.

"The BAU doesn't place judgments on sexual orientation, nor is that factor a main focus in any of our investigations unless it is relevant to solving the case," said Morgan.

"Do you have the card with you, by any chance?" asked Reid.

Eric nodded. "Yeah, and I have the paper that I've written some notes on too. I've been carrying them with me everywhere."

He pulled out the folded aforementioned documents from his pocket and placed them in Reid's outstretched hand. "Here."

"Thank you," said Reid, who unfolded both card and paper.

His eyes quickly skimmed over their contents. The the crease on his forehead lessened once he finished scanning the material and he looked up at Eric.

"Most impressive, Office Delko," said Reid. "Your partner really thought this through."

"One of his specialties is code," Eric said with a slight shrug. "He's one of our best."

"You're not too bad yourself," said Reid. "You cracked the numbers portion of it."

"Yeah, but I only know what half of it means," Eric sighed. "Only half of the first bit too."

"Tell me what you've figured out so far," said Reid. "Let's see if we can fill in the blanks."

"All right," said Eric.

"Why don't we all have a seat?" said Horatio. "I've made sure to have plenty of chairs. Doctor, you can exchange notes with Eric. In the meantime, Calleigh, would you mind giving me a hand with distributing dinner? We're all gathered here for dinner, might as well eat."

"Sure, Horatio," said Calleigh. "Not at all."

"Much appreciated, old friend," said Rossi.

"Of course," said Horatio. "What kind of host do you take me for?"

The two men shared a chuckle before Eric and the BAU team took their places around Horatio's long dining room table. Horatio had Calleigh follow him to the prepared food and the pair began to set the table. Eric and Reid were sitting across from each other, hunched over Ryan's card and Eric's notes; the CSI brought the doctor up-to-speed on his current findings.

"This is why I said he was good," said Reid. "He says so much while at the same time saying so little—and he even uses your history together as an advantage. Without that, it's not impossible, but it's considerably more difficult for an outsider to figure out the message."

"Well, even I don't understand everything," Eric said somewhat bitterly. "Like I still don't know what he means by 4:07pm or the cruise in August...I'm also not sure what to do about the names he gives me—there isn't even a first name for one of them."

"Whoa, hey, let's slow down," said Reid. "We'll get there. One step at a time, we'll figure this out."

Eric ran a hand through his short hair and sighed. "Right, sorry."

"That's okay," said Reid. "All right, so let's start with the numbers. 4:07pm. That's a time, but since it doesn't match the time marked on the date of the cruise, and because he also doesn't link a specific date to it, I'm getting the impression he means something else by it."

Eric frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Well, he may be trying to conceal a pass code, direct you to an address or a P.O. Box...it's too short to be anything like a phone number," said Reid. "Or it could even be a locker number. Do you guys use those at work?"

Eric's eyes widened as he realized something. "Yeah, yeah we do. Do you think that might be it?"

"It's possible," Reid said, nodding. "Know anyone with the locker number of 407?"

"No, not off the top of my head," Eric said, shaking his head. "But I'm sure we can find out."

"Well then, there's no time to waste," said Reid. "Looks like we should head back to your headquarters."

"Right," Eric said, nodding. "H. We need to get back to the precinct."

"Will there be many after-hours personnel?" Hotchner questioned, looking up from the piece of bread he was buttering; he was seated beside Reid and had been listening to their conversation quietly.

"Ah, the double agent or agents," said Reid. "Almost forgot about those."

"Eric going alone shouldn't be a problem," said Calleigh. "He's one of those well-known for coming back all the time."

"Bringing in a new face like the doctor though, that might be a problem," Horatio agreed. "Most of our officers wouldn't bat an eye, but as for the ones who have been compromised...they may alert our enemy."

"Still no leads on who your infiltrators might be?" Morgan asked.

"Unfortunately no," said Horatio. "Not at this time. We don't even know if we are looking for a group or just a party of one."

"Well that's something we're definitely going to need to work on," Morgan said before looking at the blonde sitting across from him at the table. "Garcia?"

The bubbly Technical Analyst gave Morgan a flirtatious wink. "You don't even have to say the word, baby, I'll give you what you need."

Despite themselves, the three CSI's at the table all exchanged a mildly amused glance. Morgan sighed and gave them a slightly embarrassed smile.

"Sorry..." he said before giving Garcia a half-hearted glare. " _Penelope_...we talked about this..."

"Ooh, honey, I love it when you whine," Garcia said, and laughed off Morgan's flustered reaction. "Fine, fine, I'll behave."

Eric couldn't help but chuckle. "So how long have you two lovebirds been dating?"

Now it was Garcia's turn to get flustered. "Oh no! We're not dating!"

"Yeah..." Morgan said, his expression seemed to almost be purposefully neutral. "You get used to it after a while. I'm not quite sure how it started, but it's just always been like this between us. We're just really good friends."

"That so?" Eric said, barely convinced.

He and Calleigh exchanged another amused look. The exchange reminded him about a similar incident that had occurred for himself and Ryan several years before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made another decision. Originally, since the chapter continued, there was no flashback moment. Since I decided to cut the chapter off here, however, I think next chapter is going to have a fluffy flashback moment with our two boys! The chapter following that will resume where we left off here. So that's just to give you all a general idea of what the next two chapters will be like. Hope to see you all again soon!


	4. III: Caged Bird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My original note on ffnet read: It's been a while, I'm sorry! I meant to update this sooner, but then I lost inspiration a bit. I'm back at it now, though! Originally this chapter was supposed to be a flashback, but I've moved that to next chapter instead. This is more of a transition.
> 
> Now, to add to that...I am planning on plugging out another update or two this week, so hopefully it all works out!

**III**

In a sense, this wasn't Ryan's first rodeo as a hostage. He had been in similar situation once before, where he had taken on another man's debts for the sake of his son. At that time, the same as now, Ryan was willing to take on the physical repercussions to protect what mattered to him. Whether or not it was the smartest move, Ryan had chosen not to tell the others up front, and it wasn't because he didn't trust his team. On the contrary, he trusted them to find him eventually, though he wasn't going to bet on whether they'd find him dead or alive. All that mattered was keeping them safe.

Since he had been brought to the warehouse, the worst that Ryan had endured was being tied to a chair after having been knocked around a few times. It didn't keep the brunette any less on edge, however. He knew what it meant—either they were just getting started or they were waiting for something. Quite possibly both.

He had made sure to hold on to the thought that he was not going to be waking up anyplace kind or familiar, right before the last blow that had knocked him out some time earlier. He didn't know how long he had been out, but when he came to, he did his best to maintain even breathing and resisted the urge to groan. Despite knowing he'd have to face reality eventually, Ryan wanted as much of a break as possible before the next round of beatings that was sure to come.

An unfortunate miscalculation in an intake of breath that made him aware of a sharp pain in his side caused Ryan to let out a louder than intended gasp of breath. It was then that he realized he wasn't alone in the room; perhaps he hadn't been alone for a long time. The footsteps drew closer and Ryan reluctantly opened his eyes. He knew the pair of black shoes that greeted him quite well.

"So you're awake, little wolf," came the familiar and heavily accented voice that Ryan had come to loathe.

He didn't even bother correcting the man. When he was first forced to introduce himself, Ryan had told him his full name, but the man had, for whatever reason, chosen to hone in on his last. He had called Ryan "little wolf" ever since.

Hazel eyes reluctantly looked up at his captor. His captor towered over him, his lips curled into a small smile. Ryan's jaw clenched tightly when a blade was brought to his cheek. He made a point not to break eye contact as he felt the cool of the metal slide under his chin. He subtly tightened his grip on the armrests of the chair he was tied in, which somewhat prepared him for the light prick of the man's blade and the trickle of blood dribbling down his neck.

"Very good," the man muttered. "You know how to face fear."

The man withdrew his knife and Ryan bit the inside of his cheek to keep from letting out a huge sigh of relief. His captor took out a piece of cloth from one of his pockets and began to clean off the tip and polish his blade.

"You're wondering why I keep you alive here, yes?" the man asked, his eyes completely focused on his blade.

Ryan didn't say anything, not trusting himself to answer. His captor chuckled.

"You're a quiet one. Very good. I like that as well," said the man. "I never liked people giving me too much chit-chat."

Ryan did his best not to fidget. The man lifted his blade and appeared to be examining it.

"You see," he said. "I keep you here because you will get me what I want, one way or another."

He shook his head as he began to circle around the brunette. "A shame your friends—can you even call them friends? They cast you to the vultures."

Ryan looked down at his feet and he heard the man stop behind of him. "Ah, well. In the end they got what they deserved, no? Don't you think so?"

Ryan closed his eyes _._

 _"No,"_ he thought. _"They deserved so much better than what they got."_

His eyes flew open when cold hands wrapped tightly around his neck. Immediately, his body reacted; his back arched and his arms fought against their restraints. Ryan felt the warmth of his captor's breath as the man whispered harshly in his ear.

"I would kill you now if you weren't useful, but you _will_ bring me Sharov," said the man. "If not him or his head, then his blood!"

Ryan took huge and involuntary gasps of air when the man finally let go right before his vision went completely dark. His body feeling numb, he barely registered his captor's crazed laugh or the sudden vice grip on his forearms.

"Do not think you are exempt from judgment, little wolf," he sneered. "Devil always make room for traitorous ones."

Perhaps it was because he was disoriented that Ryan decided to voice his thoughts. Regardless, it was a mistake.

"Do you even know what that word means?" Ryan asked. "I haven't turned on anyone."

This earned him a couple of hard punches in the gut and a sharp backhand to the face. Ryan heard himself shout, but it sounded almost like it was coming from another source. The man gripped roughly at his neck again and the brunette once again struggled to breathe.

"Oh you haven't, have you?" the man snarled. "Perhaps not, but you will."

The man loosened his grip once more and a cold chill went down Ryan's spine as the man pushed roughly against his bruising flesh. Ryan could not get a clear look at his captor anymore because his vision had gotten spotty. What he did see though, was the light reflecting the man's yellow grin.

"It would be so easy to snap your neck right now," the man murmured. "But where would the fun be in that, eh?"

When his captor released Ryan from his grip completely, the brunette began to once again gasp desperately for air. The man chuckled.

"You're strong, little wolf, as I expected," said the man. "But you will break, like the rest of your pack. It's only a matter of _when_."

"Never," Ryan said through gritted teeth, though he shuddered when he said it.

The man shook his head, a wild grin plastered on his face. "You don't have a choice."

"There's always a choice," Ryan fired back, but he kept the second half of his thought to himself. _"Just maybe no best option."_

"Enough!" his captor roared. "You were better silent!"

The man's hand then connected hard with Ryan's head with a sickening crack, causing the brunette's world to immediately fade to black. The man then took a step back from the now unconscious CSI and took out a phone from his pocket. He dialed a number as he walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there you have it! Next chapter will be the flashback that was promised for this chapter, and then we'll resume where we left off in the hunt! I'm still really figuring out where everything is going as I go along, so your guess is as good as mine in terms of plot development. This is the first time I have no real floor plan for a story, so it's rather nerve wracking. Hopefully readers are still enjoying it! Until next time.


End file.
